Britain expels Israeli diplomat over Dubai passport row

CCTV footage of the hit squad suspects in a Dubai hotel released in February

The UK is to expel an Israeli diplomat over the use of 12 cloned British passports in the Dubai murder of a Hamas leader, the BBC has learned.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband will make a statement to Parliament later.

Israel has said there is no proof that its agents were behind the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel room in January.

Diplomatic sources stressed the British government has stopped short of accusing Israel of the murder.

Strong message

However Mr Miliband had demanded that Israel co-operate fully with the investigation into how the passports were obtained.

The foreign secretary is to make the statement after Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency found proof of the cloned passports.

ANALYSIS Tim Franks, BBC News, Jerusalem In the land where they love to talk, Israeli officials are staying remarkably tight-lipped. At least until David Miliband speaks. "It doesn't look good," was the terse verdict of one former senior diplomat, before he decided it would be better if he said no more. Other sources suggest that this is a "standard dance" the British have to go through. They expected that the UK would not want this to be an "ongoing irritant". There is a clear Israeli desire to talk this argument down from one where it could damage the wider relationship. As for the more general Israeli view, that is mixed. Many believe that there is a measure of slightly unconvincing righteous indignation from the countries whose nationals had their passports cloned. Those Israelis argue that Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was as much an enemy of the West, as of Israel. But there are a good number of Israelis who also believe this was a cack-handed operation, which blew the identities of 27 valuable agents, and caused an unnecessary diplomatic stink.

BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen said the expulsion would send a "very clear message" of British disapproval.

"It is a very big step for a government like the British to expel one of the diplomats belonging to one of its important allies," he said.

The diplomat to be expelled will not be Israel's ambassador to London, Ron Prosor.

Last month Mr Miliband described the use of fake UK passports as an "outrage" and vowed that the inquiry would "get to the bottom" of the affair.

Twelve fake British passports were used in the murder of Mr Mabhouh - the founder of Hamas's military wing - in his hotel room in Dubai on 19 January.

Dubai officials said they are "99% certain" that agents from Israeli secret service Mossad were behind the killing but Israel has said there is no proof.

Other members of the hit squad travelled on fake Irish, French and Australian travel documents, Dubai police said.

Following his death, Mr Mabhouh's family said medical teams that examined him determined he had died after receiving a massive electric shock to the head. They also found evidence that he had been strangled.

Blood samples sent to a French laboratory confirmed he was killed by electric shock, after which the body was sent to Syria, they said.

Thousands of people attended Mr Mabhouh's funeral at the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, on the outskirts of Damascus in January.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said Mr Miliband would make a statement to the House of the Commons at 1530 GMT.

Source